Following nasal surgery, the lining of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses have a tendency to adhere to each other and form scars. Commonly, surgeons pack this cavity with lubricated gauze strips or other materials to prevent adhesions and scars. In some cases a compressed porous material that expands upon contact with fluids is used to prevent nasal hemorrhaging. However, adhesion of the material to the nasal mucosa is often a problem. U.S. Pat. No. 5,336,163 issued to DeMane et al. discloses an expandable nasal stent of highly porous pliable and absorbent foam material having a nonadherent, minimally porous outer surface. DeMane et al. discloses further a groove or hole through the stent that is also minimally absorbent and nonadherent and may also have substantial mechanical strength so as to act as a splint. However, minimizing the porosity on the outer surface also reduces the capacity of the stent to expand and line the mucosal surfaces.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,935,859 issued to Doyle discloses a polyvinyl chloride nasal splint used for nasal surgery with breathing tubes designed to permit breathing. Both tubes are connected together and the web interconnecting the tubes is sutured to the base of the nostril on installation. The material is stated to be flexible. The patent describes the use of gauze saturated with petroleum jelly to form a pad between the septum and the splint plate. The use of gauze and petroleum jelly is an additional step to be taken by the surgeon in putting the splint in place. In addition, the correct amount of gauze must be used to match the size of the nasal passageway and the entire splint with gauze must be replaced periodically once the gauze has become saturated with blood.
It is an object of the invention to provide an improved nasal stent. It is a further object of the invention to provide a nasal stent that is non-absorbent and yet expandable to fill the nasal cavity.